Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo holds his trophy after being awarded the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2013
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo holds his trophy after being awarded the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2013 in Zurich January 13, 2014. Portugal and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo was named the world's best footballer for the second time on Monday, preventing his great rival Lionel Messi from winning the award for a fifth year in a row. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

The top three contenders for the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2014 were announced on Monday, Dec. 1. Let's take a look at the possibilities of the shortlisted finalists: Lionel Messi, Manuel Neuer and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Lionel Messi (Argentina & FC Barcelona)

Messi won it on three out of four occasions. The only time when he lost it in 2013, he was the runner-up. Messi's hat-trick against Sevilla on Nov. 22 made him the all-time top scorer in La Liga with 253 goals. He scored another hat-trick against APOEL Nicosia and became the top scorer in the history of the UEFA Champions League with 74 goals. Argentina reached the final of 2014 FIFA World Cup and Messi arguably did it single-handedly for his country. He also won the Golden Ball given to the best player of the tournament.

Manuel Neuer (Germany & Bayern Munich)

According to several football critics, Neuer was a more deserving candidate to win the Golden Ball at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. His role as the "sweeper-keeper" for Germany worked fantastically well. Neuer played a significant role in winning the tournament and making Germany the world champion. He conceded only 2 goals in the entire tournament. His performance at Bayern Munich has also been outstanding. He was declared as the 2013 World Goalkeeper of the year. He saved a penalty in the final of the 2013 UEFA Super Cup to win it for his team.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal & Real Madrid)

Ronaldo finished second twice to Messi and eventually beating his Barcelona counterpart in 2013. He started his new season for Real Madrid in a fabulous manner. His team defeated Atlético de Madrid in May to win the 2013-14 Champions League where Ronaldo created new records by scoring 17 times in the tournament. Real also won the Copa del Rey even though CR7 was not a part of the final due to injury. Ronaldo scored 31 goals in 2013-14 La Liga and became the top European goal-scorer in the tournament along with Luis Suárez who also scored 31 times for Liverpool. The 29-year-old, on the other hand, had a disappointing performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup where he failed to take his team past the league stage.

Prediction

Ronaldo's dismal performance at the world cup will go against him. FIFA may try to compensate its Golden Ball controversy by not choosing Neuer over Messi. Neuer will win the Ballon d'Or 2014 as the most deserving player to become the first goalkeeper to win the award.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au